2009 World Green Car of the Year Finalists Announced

The world green car of the year finalists have been announced ahead of the final selection of this year's winner at the New York Auto Show in April. The diverse field of finalists includes a truly global showing with entries such as the Citroën C1, Tesla Roadster, and the Chevrolet Tahoe / GMC Yukon full-size SUV hybrids.

Volvo claimed the most entries with a total of five thanks to the recent debut of the C30/S40/V50 1.6D DRIVe models and the introduction of the S80/V70 sedan and wagon which use the 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbocharged Flexifuel engine. Daimler's Mercedes-Benz ML/GL/R 320 BlueTEC SUV's and the smart ed electric-vehicle also got the nod. Rounding out the other Europeans on the list are Fiat's Palio Weekend Electric and Siena Tetrafuel, the BMW 335d BluePerformance, the Mini Cooper D and Mini E, the Citroën C1 and the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI.

Japan had a strong showing thanks to contenders such as the Honda FCX Clarity, Mazda RX8 Hydrogen Rotary, Toyota iQ, Mitsubishi iMiEV, the Nissan X-Trail 20 GT and Subaru's Legacy and Outback models that are rated as Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (PZEV). US automakers only recieved two nominations, one for GM's Tahoe and Yukon hybrids and another for the Tesla Roadster.